Heretofore, various fuel cells such as alkaline fuel cells (AFC), polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC), Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC), and Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) have been known. These fuel cells are examined for use in various applications, for example, in automobile application.
For example, a polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes a fuel-side electrode (anode) to which a fuel is supplied, and an oxygen-side electrode (cathode) to which oxygen is supplied, and these electrodes are disposed to face each other with an electrolyte layer composed of a solid polymer membrane interposed therebetween. In such a fuel cell, hydrogen gas is supplied to the anode, and air is supplied to the cathode, which generates an electromotive force between the anode-cathode, thereby allowing power generation.
As such a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, for example, Patent Document 1 has proposed a fuel cell including a fuel-side electrode (anode), an oxygen-side electrode (cathode) including a cobalt-supported composite composed of polypyrrole and carbon (carbon composite), and an electrolyte in which an anion component can migrate (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).
With such a fuel cell, the oxygen-side electrode (cathode) contains a polypyrrole carbon composite on which cobalt is supported, and thus the oxygen reduction reaction in the oxygen-side electrode (cathode) can be activated, and power-generating performance can be improved.